Eastern Promises (2007)

[Movie 221 / Day 236]


Directed by David Kronenburg, Eastern Promises follows Anna, a midwife in a London hospital who helps deliver the baby of a Russian prostitute who dies during childbirth. Unwilling to let her be buried as a Jane Doe, Anna takes the girls diary and tries to get it translated in the hope of discovering who she was.

Unfortunately, that diary leads her into the middle of a Russian mafia dispute.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but it turned out to be an excellent movie - Viggo Mortensen was very good in particular.

My rating: 7.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 100 mins
IMDB link

A History of Violence (2005)

[Movie 158 / Day 171]


Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a normal man living in small-town America with his wife and two kids, he owns and runs a small diner.

One day, two murderers walk in and hold the place up. Tom defends his property and in doing so becomes a local hero and a minor celebrity in the news for a few days.

Unfortunately, some mobsters see him and think they recognise him as an informant hiding under the witness protection act. They pay him a visit and all sorts of secrets come out.

It's a simple plot, but one that I haven't seen done before. Mortensen and Ed Harris are both excellent. Well worth a watch, although it is violent in places.

My rating: 7.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 96 mins
IMDB link

Appaloosa (2008)

[Movie 95 / Day 59]


Ed Harris directs and stars in this western. It starts off brilliantly, Ed Harris's character is a total bad-ass and Viggo Mortensen sports a marvelous moustache. However, it seems to bog down in sub-plots and actually gets a bit boring in places.

Uncouth I may be, but I was left hoping for much more in the way of shoot outs.

Still, it's pretty good.

My rating: 6.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.9 / 10
Running time: 115 mins
IMDB link